Alix Spiegelhttp://upr.org
enBy Impersonating Her Mom, A Comedian Grows Closer To Herhttp://upr.org/post/impersonating-her-mom-comedian-grows-closer-her
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZnJJMoPE1w</p>Fri, 30 Jan 2015 22:14:00 +0000Alix Spiegel52412 at http://upr.orgBy Impersonating Her Mom, A Comedian Grows Closer To HerBy Making A Game Out Of Rejection, A Man Conquers Fearhttp://upr.org/post/making-game-out-rejection-man-conquers-fear
<em>Fear is one of the strongest and most basic of human emotions, and it's the focus of Fearless, the second episode of </em>Invisibilia<em>, NPR's new show on the invisible forces that shape human behavior. </em><p><em>This segment of the show explores how a man decided to conquer his fear of rejection by getting rejected every day — on purpose.</em><p>The evolution of Jason Comely, a freelance IT guy from Cambridge, Ontario, began one sad night several years ago.<p>"That Friday evening that I was in my one-bedroom apartment trying to be busy," Comely says.Fri, 16 Jan 2015 08:23:00 +0000Alix Spiegel51780 at http://upr.orgBy Making A Game Out Of Rejection, A Man Conquers FearWhat Heroin Addiction Tells Us About Changing Bad Habitshttp://upr.org/post/what-heroin-addiction-tells-us-about-changing-bad-habits
It's a tradition as old as New Year's: making resolutions. We will not smoke, or sojourn with the bucket of mint chocolate chip. In fact, we will resist sweets generally, including the bowl of M&M's that our co-worker has helpfully positioned on the aisle corner of his desk. There will be exercise, and the learning of a new language.<p>It is <em>resolved. </em><p>So what does science know about translating our resolve into actual changes in behavior?Mon, 05 Jan 2015 08:33:00 +0000Alix Spiegel51244 at http://upr.orgWhat Heroin Addiction Tells Us About Changing Bad HabitsOur Use Of Little Words Can, Uh, Reveal Hidden Interestshttp://upr.org/post/our-use-little-words-can-uh-reveal-hidden-interests
One Friday night, 30 men and 30 women gathered at a hotel restaurant in Washington, D.C. Their goal was love, or maybe sex, or maybe some combination of the two. They were there for speed dating.<p>The women sat at separate numbered tables while the men moved down the line, and for two solid hours they did a rotation, making small talk with people they did not know, one after another, in three-minute increments.<p>I had gone to record the night, which was put on by a company called Professionals in the City, and what struck me was the noise in the room.Mon, 01 Sep 2014 07:17:00 +0000Alix Spiegel46124 at http://upr.orgOur Use Of Little Words Can, Uh, Reveal Hidden InterestsThe Secret History Behind The Science Of Stresshttp://upr.org/post/secret-history-behind-science-stress
The modern idea of stress began on a rooftop in Canada, with a handful of rats freezing in the winter wind.<p>This was 1936 and by that point the owner of the rats, an endocrinologist named Hans Selye, had become expert at making rats suffer for science.<p>"He would subject them to extreme temperatures, make them go hungry for long periods, or make them exercise a lot," the medical historian <a href="https://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/history/staff/jackson/">Mark Jackson </a>says.Mon, 07 Jul 2014 20:07:00 +0000Alix Spiegel43636 at http://upr.orgThe Secret History Behind The Science Of StressHow A Woman's Plan To Kill Herself Helped Her Family Grievehttp://upr.org/post/how-womans-plan-kill-herself-helped-her-family-grieve
This story is in no way an endorsement of suicide. It's a description of one woman's choice and what came of it.<p>Five years ago, after doctors told her that she had Alzheimer's disease that would eventually steal her ability to read, write and recognize people, Sandy Bem decided to kill herself.<p>Sandy was 65 years old, an unsentimental woman and strong willed. For her, <em></em><em></em>a life without books and the ability to recognize the people she loved wasn't a life she wanted.<p>And so she decided there was only one thing to do.Mon, 23 Jun 2014 07:27:00 +0000Alix Spiegel42926 at http://upr.orgHow A Woman's Plan To Kill Herself Helped Her Family GrieveMind Over Milkshake: How Your Thoughts Fool Your Stomachhttp://upr.org/post/mind-over-milkshake-how-your-thoughts-fool-your-stomach
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIfhxt0JCok</p>Mon, 14 Apr 2014 07:22:00 +0000Alix Spiegel39595 at http://upr.orgMind Over Milkshake: How Your Thoughts Fool Your StomachPlay It Again And Again, Samhttp://upr.org/post/play-it-again-and-again-sam
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH45A6ek45s</p>Mon, 07 Apr 2014 22:30:00 +0000Alix Spiegel39309 at http://upr.orgPlay It Again And Again, SamSo You Think You're Smarter Than A CIA Agent http://upr.org/post/so-you-think-youre-smarter-cia-agent
The morning I met Elaine Rich, she was sitting at the kitchen table of her small town home in suburban Maryland trying to estimate refugee flows in Syria.<p>It wasn't the only question she was considering; there were others:<p>Will North Korea launch a new multistage missile before May 10, 2014?<p>Will Russian armed forces enter Kharkiv, Ukraine, by May 10? Rich's answers to these questions would eventually be evaluated by the intelligence community, but she didn't feel much pressure because this wasn't her full-time gig.<p>"I'm just a pharmacist," she said.Wed, 02 Apr 2014 07:55:00 +0000Alix Spiegel39053 at http://upr.orgSo You Think You're Smarter Than A CIA Agent When Memories Never Fade, The Past Can Poison The Presenthttp://upr.org/post/when-memories-never-fade-past-can-poison-present
On Feb. 21, Alexandra Wolff ate steak, mashed potatoes and broccoli for dinner. Later that night, sitting in her room, she spent 20 minutes scanning pictures in <em>InStyle</em> magazine.<p>She remembers those things, just as she remembers that on Aug. 2 she stopped at Target and bought Raisin Bran; and on April 17 she wore a white button-down shirt; and on Oct.Fri, 27 Dec 2013 22:19:00 +0000Alix Spiegel35044 at http://upr.orgWhen Memories Never Fade, The Past Can Poison The PresentIf Your Shrink Is A Bot, How Do You Respond?http://upr.org/post/if-your-shrink-bot-how-do-you-respond
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejczMs6b1Q4</p>Mon, 20 May 2013 07:04:00 +0000Alix Spiegel24732 at http://upr.orgIf Your Shrink Is A Bot, How Do You Respond?Big Sibling's Big Influence: Some Behaviors Run In The Familyhttp://upr.org/post/big-siblings-big-influence-some-behaviors-run-family
Patricia East is a developmental psychologist who began her career working at an OB-GYN clinic in California.Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:07:00 +0000Alix Spiegel23743 at http://upr.orgBig Sibling's Big Influence: Some Behaviors Run In The FamilyBoston Blasts A Reminder Of 'The Fragility Of Life'http://upr.org/post/boston-blasts-reminder-fragility-life
From the first explosion in Boston on Monday to the second, just 15 seconds elapsed. And in those 15 seconds, three people were mortally wounded, including an 8-year-old boy.Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:37:00 +0000Alix Spiegel23178 at http://upr.orgBoston Blasts A Reminder Of 'The Fragility Of Life'Would Angry Teens Chill Out If They Saw More Happy Faces?http://upr.org/post/would-angry-teens-chill-out-if-they-saw-more-happy-faces
All day long we're surrounded by faces. We see them on the subway sitting two by two, pass them on the sidewalk as we make our way to work, then nod to them in the elevator.<p>But most of those faces don't tell us much about the emotional life of the person behind the face.<p>"People don't just go around the world smiling or grimacing or frowning," says psychologist <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/expsych/people/marcus-r-munafo/index.html">Marcus Munafo</a> of the University of Bristol.Mon, 08 Apr 2013 21:21:00 +0000Alix Spiegel22753 at http://upr.orgWould Angry Teens Chill Out If They Saw More Happy Faces?Mining Books To Map Emotions Through A Centuryhttp://upr.org/post/mining-books-map-emotions-through-century
Were people happier in the 1950s than they are today? Or were they more frustrated, repressed and sad?<p>To find out, you'd have to compare the emotions of one generation to another.Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:41:00 +0000Alix Spiegel22457 at http://upr.orgMining Books To Map Emotions Through A CenturyNew Voices For The Voiceless: Synthetic Speech Gets An Upgradehttp://upr.org/post/new-voices-voiceless-synthetic-speech-gets-upgrade
Ever since she was a small child, Samantha Grimaldo has had to carry her voice with her.<p>Grimaldo was born with a rare disorder, Perisylvian syndrome, which means that though she's physically capable in many ways, she's never been able to speak. Instead, she's used a device to speak. She types in what she wants to say, and the device says those words out loud.Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:41:00 +0000Alix Spiegel21445 at http://upr.orgNew Voices For The Voiceless: Synthetic Speech Gets An UpgradeTo Spot Kids Who Will Overcome Poverty, Look At Babieshttp://upr.org/post/spot-kids-who-will-overcome-poverty-look-babies
Why do some children who grow up in poverty do well, while others struggle?<p>To understand more about this, a group of psychologists recently did a <a href="http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/01/29/0956797612457381.abstract">study</a>.<p>It began in a small spare room where a series of very poor mothers and their 5-month-old babies came to watch a soothing video. Soothing the baby was the point, says Elisabeth Conradt, a postdoctoral researcher at Brown University's <a href="http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Children_at_Risk/Home.htm">Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk</a>.Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:32:00 +0000Alix Spiegel20810 at http://upr.orgTo Spot Kids Who Will Overcome Poverty, Look At BabiesWhy Even Radiologists Can Miss A Gorilla Hiding In Plain Sighthttp://upr.org/post/why-even-radiologists-can-miss-gorilla-hiding-plain-sight
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo</p>Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:33:00 +0000Alix Spiegel20130 at http://upr.orgWhy Even Radiologists Can Miss A Gorilla Hiding In Plain SightNo Mercy For Robots: Experiment Tests How Humans Relate To Machineshttp://upr.org/post/mercy-robots-experiment-tests-how-humans-relate-machines
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kf9coMuVuI</p>Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:25:00 +0000Alix Spiegel19469 at http://upr.orgNo Mercy For Robots: Experiment Tests How Humans Relate To MachinesShootings Leave Sandy Hook Survivors Rethinking The Oddshttp://upr.org/post/shootings-leave-sandy-hook-survivors-rethinking-odds
About a month ago, Declan Procaccini's 10-year-old son woke him early in the morning in a fright.<p>"He came into my bedroom and said, 'Dad, I had a horrible, horrible dream!' " Procaccini says. "He was really shaken up.Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:20:00 +0000Alix Spiegel18201 at http://upr.orgShootings Leave Sandy Hook Survivors Rethinking The OddsWeekend Vote Will Bring Controversial Changes To Psychiatrists' Biblehttp://upr.org/post/weekend-vote-will-bring-controversial-changes-psychiatrists-bible
This weekend, 20 people from around the country will meet in a nondescript hotel room in Arlington, Va., and take a vote.Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:11:00 +0000Alix Spiegel17112 at http://upr.orgWeekend Vote Will Bring Controversial Changes To Psychiatrists' BibleGive And Take: How The Rule Of Reciprocation Binds Ushttp://upr.org/post/give-and-take-how-rule-reciprocation-binds-us
In 1974, Phillip Kunz and his family got a record number of Christmas cards. In the weeks before Christmas they came daily, sometimes by the dozen. Kunz still has them in his home, collected in an old photo album.<p>"Dear Phil, Joyce and family," a typical card reads, "we received your holiday greeting with much joy and enthusiasm ... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's. Love Lou, Bev and the children."<p>The cards from that year came in all shapes and sizes, but the basic message was the same.Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:16:00 +0000Alix Spiegel16848 at http://upr.orgGive And Take: How The Rule Of Reciprocation Binds UsStruggle For Smarts? How Eastern And Western Cultures Tackle Learninghttp://upr.org/post/struggle-smarts-how-eastern-and-western-cultures-tackle-learning
In 1979, when Jim Stigler was still a graduate student at the University of Michigan, he went to Japan to research teaching methods and found himself sitting in the back row of a crowded fourth-grade math class.<p>"The teacher was trying to teach the class how to draw three-dimensional cubes on paper," Stigler explains, "and one kid was just totally having trouble with it. His cube looked all cockeyed, so the teacher said to him, 'Why don't you go put yours on the board?' So right there I thought, 'That's interesting!Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:29:00 +0000Alix Spiegel16271 at http://upr.orgStruggle For Smarts? How Eastern And Western Cultures Tackle LearningJersey Shore Storm Survivors Face Uncertain Futurehttp://upr.org/post/jersey-shore-storm-survivors-face-uncertain-future
The barrier islands off the coast of New Jersey were hit hard by Superstorm Sandy, and for the moment, most residents are banned from living in their homes because the area is far too damaged.<p>Which is why this past weekend, in a Red Cross shelter at Pinelands High School in Egg Harbor, N.J., on the mainland, around 100 stranded island residents were lining up for dinner, while Red Cross volunteers worked hard to keep things reassuring.<p>"Excuse me everybody!" shouted one of the volunteers, waving her arms above her head.Tue, 06 Nov 2012 21:51:00 +0000Alix Spiegel16033 at http://upr.orgJersey Shore Storm Survivors Face Uncertain FutureCharming, Cold: Does Presidential Personality Matter?http://upr.org/post/charming-cold-does-presidential-personality-matter
<em>As part of NPR's coverage of this year's presidential election, </em>All Things Considered<em> asked three science reporters to weigh in on the race. The result is a three-part series on the science of leadership. In Part 2, Jon Hamilton examined <a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/10/24/163561729/in-animal-kingdom-voting-of-a-different-sort-reigns">leadership in the animal kingdom</a>.</em><p>Charming or cold. Flexible or rigid. Paranoid or impulsive or calculating.<p>How important is the personality of a president?Tue, 23 Oct 2012 21:46:00 +0000Alix Spiegel15394 at http://upr.orgCharming, Cold: Does Presidential Personality Matter?